Once Upon a May Morning
by Bratty
Summary: It's only two weeks into the month, but to Ladonia's fraying nerves it feels like it has been much longer. A HanaTama Family story.


He had spent the better part of the month agonizing over it, wondering how, if at all, to approach the situation, presenting reasons in favor and against, and yet it only ended up accomplishing just as much as any world meeting ever did: headaches and a bad attitude that only worsened as the marks on the calendar got closer and closer to the day in question.

And there it was: the second Sunday of May was finally there. That morning, in an impulse before hesitation got to him he had just gone and _done_ it _,_ leaving him now staring at the card in his hands like it was some sort of cardboard-y bomb about to go off.

Ladonia wondered how long he had been standing there, just outside the kitchen, listening to the sounds of breakfast being prepared, turning and turning the card in his hands, constantly on the verge of going in, but always backing off at the last second. His stomach rumbled. At some point he would have to go in if only to eat.

He was wondering the validity of that argument as a reason to, somehow, someway, deliver the thing when the front door of the house slammed open, almost giving him a heart attack.

"MOM, WE'RE BACK!"

" _Careful with the door, Sea_!" Finland's voice warned from the kitchen, though he didn't exit it. Outside it, Ladonia, found himself plastered against the wall with his right hand over his racing heart, willing it not to _explode_ as he turned to glare at his self-proclaimed older brother.

"You _scared_ me!"

Sealand's smile widened when he saw him as he trotted into the house. "You're up! Good morning."

" _You were out_?" Ladonia hissed.

"You didn't notice?" Sealand blinked confusedly at him, and Ladonia felt dumb because no, he had not noticed, too busy arguing with himself over the stupid card. At least that explained the house being quiet enough to hear himself think.

At his silence, Sealand grinned again and shoved a wicker basket - Ladonia hadn't noticed him holding it - right under his nose. "Papa and I went berry picking!"

 _Oh, right. That was today_. Between the bouts of angry, silent debating with himself, he could vaguely remember Sealand chattering about needing to get up very early to get the 'bestest and freshest' berries in a somewhat near field.

Sure enough, under a rumpled blanket, the basket was positively brimming with berries of multiple sizes and colors, some still with bits of wood and leaves attached to them. "They're for mama." He explained.

Ladonia frowned, taking a step back from the proffered basket of fruit, "And Sve?"

"Getting the groceries!" Sealand turned so that he could see Sweden, indeed, getting what looked to be heavy paper bags from the backseat of his car, parked outside. "The store was on the way!"

Ladonia said nothing. Then he noticed Sealand _looking_ at him – a curious glance that went all over his body, as if he was searching for something. When he started to circle him, he had to fight the urge to take another step back. "What is it?"

Sealand gave him a curious look. "Do you have a present?"

 _Ah_. He snorted petulantly. "Why would I?"

That made Sealand frown. "You know why." He said, hugging the basket. "I asked you to come with us last night but you kept mumbling and frowning and being difficult, so I didn't wake you up today." Then, expression softening, he offered a conciliatory smile. "We can say the berries are from both of us, though. Papa won't mind."

Ladonia looked at the basket, which Sealand gently pushed to him. Behind him, Sweden gave them a curious glance as he placed down the grocery bags on the floor so he could close the front door. Ladonia frowned again. "No way," he said, crossing his arms and looking away. "How lame do you think I am to tag along with someone else's present?"

Sealand pouted. "So you're not gonna give mama a present?" Ladonia harrumphed for an answer, so Sealand blew a raspberry at him. "Fine, be that way. But he's been your mama way longer than he has been mine." He started toward the kitchen when a hand on his elbow stopped him, turning him around. Silently, Ladonia took the blanket from the basket and folded it nicely, like Sealand had tried but failed to do on the way home.

"At least make it look nice." Ladonia growled, and sure enough, the basket _did_ look a bit better with the blanket folded properly.

Grinning again, Sealand stuck his tongue out to his little brother. "I _knew_ you weren't such a jerk after all," he laughed as he ran from batting hands and into the kitchen as he heard his baby brother proclaiming how much he sucked.

Ladonia glowered at the closed kitchen door, and when it was clear his brother wasn't coming out, he stomped his foot once and turned around - and straight into Sweden's chest.

A big hand helped him steady himself. Ladonia looked up to find his 'father' somehow balancing three grocery bags with the other one. "Mornin'," Sweden rumbled, before ruffling his hair with his free hand. "Help m' with these?"

Ladonia flushed hotly. " _You suck, too_!" and ran off and upstairs to his room.

* * *

"HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MAMA!"

Finland managed to put down the heavy pot in his hands just in time for Sealand's tackle-hug to nearly knock the breath out of him. He laughed, turning around to pick up his son to pepper his face with kisses. "Thank you, sweetheart!"

Sweden smiled as he entered the kitchen to find Sealand laughing and squealing in his wife's arms, trying and failing to avoid his kisses, until he was finally put back down on the floor with a happy flush. Proudly, his oldest held up his wicker basket "These are for you!"

"Oh, my," Finland crouched down to look inside the basket. "Freshly picked!"

"Yup!" Sealand puffed out his chest, proudly. "Papa and I got up _real_ early to get you the best berries before anyone else got them."

Finland grinned up at his husband. "So that's why you had to leave so early for groceries, then?"

"Hn." Sweden's ears pinked as he set the bags down on the kitchen table.

A tug on his apron had Finland look back down to his oldest. "Do you like them? Were you surprised?" before finding himself again at the losing end of another attack of affection.

"I didn't like it, I loved it!" Finland laughed as he tickled his giggling son, "now go wash up and get your brother, breakfast will be ready soon!" he said with a final kiss to the top of Sealand's hair before letting him escape from his arms and up the stairs.

He stood up, grinning still, and turned around only to find himself on the receiving end of another kiss.

"Happy mother's day," Sweden told him when they broke apart, pressing their foreheads together.

Finland flushed, softly smiling up at his husband. "Thank you," He said as he hugged the wicker basket to his chest. "I really do love it."

Sweden nodded, going back to unloading the grocery bags. "Check th' blanket."

With a curious look, Finland set the basket on the counter and started unfolding the blanket that protected the fruit. A small card fell from the folds to the floor. He picked it up – a single white square with a lily-of-the-valley drawn on it in crayon, with a simple "Thank you" written under it. He turned it over to find the back almost blank, except for a yellow – no, _golden_ – apple doodled on the lower corner.

The grin that broke on his face was so wide that Sweden was worried it might hurt. "Say," started Finland, carefully settling the blanket over the basket, and the card on top of it. "Did you buy any apples?"

Sweden pointed at the freshly-filled fruit bowl.

Finland nodded as he removed his apron. "Good. Can you serve breakfast, then? I'm going up to kiss my children raw, and then, after eating, you and me are going to make some pies." He gave Sweden a quick peck on the lips before running out of the kitchen and up the stairs, leaving him to put on the discarded apron and start serving breakfast for his family, smiling as the sound of loving, laughing chaos echoed through the house.

* * *

 **Author's note** : I have been sitting on this story for a couple of months now. My original plan for it was to be the epilogue of another, longer story but since that's not coming along as nicely as I'd have liked, here it is. Thankfully it works as a one-shot.

Shout out to my lovely beta, GeekyGenius, who like a master sculptor gently chipped away at my awkward sentence structure until it transformed into something people may actually wish to lay their eyes on. Bless you, GG! (And for all other Hetalia writers out there, if you need a beta, she's someone you can trust!


End file.
